Each year, the Hermiston Police Department celebrates National Night Out, which encourages people to get to know their neighbors as a way to build safer communities.

Leading up to the festivities, they hold a treasure hunt. HPD will host a block party in the person’s neighborhood who finds the golden medallion on National Night Out, which is Tuesday, Aug. 6.

See next week’s Hermiston Herald for a story about National Night Out. Also, beginning Tuesday, July 30, daily clues of the medallion’s whereabouts will be published in the East Oregonian. In addition, a bonus clue will be printed in the July 31 Herald. Happy hunting!

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The Hermiston Herald’s parent company EO Media Group has submitted a bid for the Bend Bulletin and Redmond Spokesman, supported by financial backers in the Bend area.

At $2.5 million, the company is the high bidder out of three bids placed on the Central Oregon papers. The other two are Adams Publishing Group and Rhode Island Suburban Newspapers.

The newspapers’ parent company Western Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year, causing its papers to be put up for bid. EO Media Group already acquired the La Grande Observer and Baker City Herald out of bankruptcy for $750,000 last month.

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The National Weather Service’s radar in Umatilla County is currently down as it goes through an upgrade.

This week through the end of July, NWS will take apart the red and white radar tower in Pendleton to thoroughly clean, repair and upgrade equipment in the radome and replace the pedestal. The agency uses radar to track precipitation, wind and other weather elements.

Meteorologist Rob Brooks said even though the radar will be down, the weather service will be able to use radar readings from its neighboring offices in Portland; Medford; Boise, Idaho; and Spokane, Washington to see weather patterns heading into the area. The office will still have other tools, such as observations, spotter reports and satellite data, within the area usually covered by Pendleton’s radar.

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Echo resident Robert Peachey has been volunteering all summer long to spruce up his community.

He rolls through town in an electric wheelchair each day on his way to get coffee at the H&P Cafe, and said he started pulling small weeds in cracks in the road and sidewalk on his way. He moved on to public parks and clearing out plants along the railroad tracks. He reported last week that so far he has pulled up and disposed of 185 30-gallon barrels of weeds, totaling 5,550 gallons.

“That’s a lot of weeds!” he said.

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The ALS Association of Oregon & SW Washington is hosting a town hall meeting.

“ALS: What it is and How we Can Help” is Saturday, Aug. 3 from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Community Room, 501 S.W. Emigrant Ave., Pendleton. The event is free and open to the public.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS is also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease) affects hundreds of people living in Oregon and southwest Washington. People are invited to learn more about the regional ALS chapter, the work they are doing to support people living with the disease and how to work together as a community to find treatments and a cure for ALS.

For more information, contact Cassandra Adams at cassy.adams@alsoregon.org, 503-238-5559 or visit www.alsa-or.org.

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The menu for the Harkenrider Senior Activity Center for Thursday is baked chicken, red parsley potatoes, corn, fruit salad and cake. Friday is build your own tacos and dessert. Monday is salad bar, dinner and dessert. Tuesday is taco salad, fruit and dessert. Next Wednesday is chicken salad sandwich, salad and dessert.